Returning
by Zathara001
Summary: When Hydra attacks Themyscira, Diana and Steve rush to its defense. Part three of Amalgam: Shield and Lasso.
1. Chapter 1

As always, all rights to this story are hereby given to DC and Marvel and/or their parent companies and/or the applicable copyright owners.

"Who would have thought that a play I heard about opening in 1944 would still be playing in 2012?" Steve asked, offering her his arm as they stepped out of the Studio 54 theater into a warm New York City night.

Diana took his arm, laughing a little as she did, grateful that he'd finally gotten comfortable enough to joke about what had happened to him. Whether he was finally comfortable with her or with himself was a different question altogether, and one she wasn't interested in exploring right now.

"It was also made into a movie," she told him. "We can watch it sometime, if you want."

"Sure," Steve replied, turning east on 54th Street. "Not that I'll know any of the actors, but it'll be fun to see the differences between the play and the movie."

"You might," Diana said. "Jimmy Stewart, Josephine Hull…"

"When was the movie made?"

"1950, I think?"

"That's something I'm having trouble with," Steve admitted quietly. "This - abundance of entertainment. Going to the pictures or the theater was an event for me, a treat. Now - it's everywhere. And that's not the Ziegfeld Theatre I remember."

Diana laughed again, pleased with the ease between them.

"It's much uglier," Steve decided as they passed the building, and while Diana didn't remember the original Ziegfeld Theatre, she could agree that there was nothing attractive about this one.

"How did your interview go?" he added.

"Better than the one I had at the Sackler Gallery last week," she said. "I like the atmosphere at the Metropolitan Museum of Art better, so I was more enthusiastic. I think."

"I hope you get it," Steve said. "And not just because I'd prefer you in New York than Washington."

"You could always move to Washington," Diana countered with a smile that faded at the wince on Steve's face. "What?"

"Fury wanted me to move there," Steve said. "Because that's where S.H.I.E.L.D. is headquartered. I'd rather not be that close to them until everything's handled."

Diana understood. "No need to make yourself a target. How is that going?"

"Your friend isn't keeping you informed?"

Diana shrugged. "Not really. He told me the search was difficult once they got back to pre-computer records."

"I hadn't thought about that," Steve admitted. "How are they handling those records?"

"With difficulty. I don't know exactly how, but I know they've called in a couple of specialists."

Specifically, Barry Allen and Bruce Wayne. Between Barry's speed and Bruce's investigative abilities, they were making rapid progress on copying and sorting the records they'd found in a document storage facility in McLean, Virginia.

"Tony says you have interesting friends."

"So do you," Diana countered. "I'm looking forward to introducing all of you."

And she was, even if Steve's potentially very public identity was at odds with the secret identities Bruce, Barry, and Clark had. Arthur's identity wasn't so much secret as simply unknown, though from what he'd said the last time they spoke, Atlantis wouldn't be unknown much longer.

Still, those were thoughts for another time. Before Diana could find another topic of conversation, her StarkPhone vibrated in the small evening bag she carried.

She stepped closer to the building before pulling out the phone. Beside her, Steve did the same.

The text message was from Tony Stark. _President making like Hercules tomorrow._

She smiled and sent an acknowledgment back. Beside her, Steve frowned.

"I thought you'd be glad that a threat is being handled," she said.

"I should be there, and so should you."

"We _want_ to be there. They don't need us."

"Hydra's a formidable enemy."

"But this mission is one of stealth and surprise," Diana reminded him. "Those aren't our strengths."

After almost a block, Steve blew out a breath. "I suppose not. And I know, tactically, taking them down quietly is the right choice."

"But?"

"But I _died_ to stop them, before. I mean, obviously I didn't, but I thought I was. It feels wrong not to be there when they are finally stopped for good."

"You want closure," Diana said. At Steve's puzzled frown, she added, "A sense that an emotional situation has been resolved."

Steve chuckled. "If that means I want to know Hydra's finished for good, then yes, I want closure." Then he shook his head. "And if finishing Hydra for good means I sit on the sidelines, then that's what has to happen, however much I don't like it."

"We can pray for their success," Diana said. "And then toast their victory."

WW = CA = WW

_Praying for their success_ turned into a bottle of wine shared as they sat on the floor before the fireplace in the sitting room of Diana's suite at the Warwick Hotel.

Like the Mandarin in Washington last week, the suite here was an indulgence. She'd hoped Steve would ask her to stay with him, but he wasn't comfortable being intimate where JARVIS could potentially observe it.

Not that they were physically intimate - yet - but Steve valued privacy and modesty.

Steve's shoes, tie, and the jacket of his formal suit joined Diana's shoes on the floor by the sofa they'd pushed away from the fireplace.

Diana settled onto the floor as Steve poured them each a glass of wine before joining her.

Diana accepted the glass and raised it. "To those who fight Hydra. May they succeed completely."

Steve touched his glass to hers, and with a unity of action born of months of fighting beside each other, even if that was decades before, they drank.

There was nothing particularly romantic about the moment, but there was a comforting sense of familiarity, of memories of other nights before fires with drink and companionship, and that familiarity brought its own set of emotions to the front of her mind.

Then Steve's expression shifted, and he set his wine aside before taking her glass to do the same.

"Diana." Her name was warm on his lips, as warm as the hand he stretched to cup her cheek.

She barely managed a murmured, "Steve," before his lips claimed hers.


	2. Chapter 2

Sometime during the night, they'd moved from the sitting room floor to Diana's bed. Now, with morning light sneaking around the drapes, Steve cradled her against his chest.

Steve thought he should feel ashamed of what he'd done - what they'd done. Diana wasn't a girl like the ones Bucky had always charmed into his bed, eager for a good time and not much more.

No, Diana was a woman who wanted - no, demanded - more of the people around her. She made him want to be a better man than he was, and a better man would've waited a while longer for the intimacy they'd shared.

"You're thinking so hard I can feel it," Diana murmured.

"Sorry." Steve squeezed her closer for a moment. "Just thinking that this happened a bit fast."

"We've known each other for years - two, if you insist on not counting the seventy you were sleeping. How is that fast?"

"When you put it like that, I guess it's not," Steve admitted. "I just - I want to be a man you respect."

Diana propped herself on one arm - presumably so that she could glare at him properly, if her expression were anything to judge by. "Why would you think you're not?"

"My own insecurity." Then Steve frowned as he realized what he'd said. "Where's your lasso?"

Diana laughed. "Not here - I don't think either of us are interested in those kinds of games."

That surprised an answering laugh from him even as he blushed. "No - never. Truth or Dare, maybe, but not - no." He blew out a breath. "So I'm being too honest on my own. That's even more embarrassing."

Diana settled back against him. "I think that's good - that you want to be honest with me."

"Always." Steve paused. "You're sure your lasso isn't here?"

"It's in my suitcase with my armor. I promise."

"So packing light really is your superpower," Steve mused. "A formal dress, your armor, and casual clothes all in one suitcase."

"I left my sword and shield at home, otherwise I would've needed two."

Steve laughed. "It's good to know you're not perfect."

"You've known that for decades, Steve. Don't pretend otherwise now." But she was laughing as she said it, and Steve bent to kiss her, grateful that he was allowed such a simple indulgence.

The kiss turned into more, and it was far later than Steve would willingly admit to when they finally left the bed for their separate showers.

When Steve returned to the sitting room, he was only slightly surprised to find that Diana wasn't there already. During the war, she'd been as efficient with her personal hygiene as any soldier she fought beside, and he couldn't believe she'd changed that much over the intervening decades.

He figured she wouldn't be long, so he crossed to the minibar and started a pot of coffee for them.

The coffee hadn't finished brewing before Diana joined him, her still-damp hair piled on her head in a style similar to ones he'd seen on ancient Greek vases during his few trips to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

He offered her a cup of coffee and a kiss and shoved down the sappy feeling of domestic satisfaction that swelled his chest. They weren't there, not yet, but Steve felt confident they would be, and likely sooner than he expected.

She settled at the table with him. "Surely this isn't all we're having for breakfast?"

"Of course not," Steve said. "But I thought -"

The buzzing of both of their StarkPhones interrupted him. If it had only been his phone, he probably would have ignored it to continue their conversation. Both, though, probably meant something serious, so with a resigned sigh, Steve reached for his.

Diana glanced at her own phone. "It's Victor," she murmured. "And Tony Stark."

"Both at once?" That couldn't be good.

"Answer yours," Diana said. "Put it on speaker."

Steve did so, and both Tony's and Victor Stone's faces filled the screen.

"Steve." Tony's use of his first name as much as both men's sober expressions told Steve something was wrong. "Can you talk freely?"

"I'm with Diana," Steve answered. "And you were calling her, too, so yes."

Surprisingly, Tony made no other comment. "A joint task force of Homeland Security, FBI, and various National Guard units moved against Hydra-in-S.H.I.E.L.D. this morning. It was a coordinated effort, but either the plan leaked, or Hydra had backup plans galore."

Steve glanced at Diana, whose frown surely matched his own. "What do you mean?"

"A small group - the estimate is a hundred, maybe a little more - escaped capture." Tony looked as angry as Steve felt.

"Any idea where they're headed?" Steve asked. While he'd been excluded from the stealthy assault on Hydra-in-S.H.I.E.L.D., rightly, this was an enemy, an action, he could help fight on its own turf.

"Yes," Victor Stone answered, his tone grim. "An island in the Atlantic. They refer to it as _Insel der Frauen_."

The Island of Women. Steve got it immediately, even before Diana's indrawn breath. They meant her home. Themyscira.

"That means something to you both," Tony said, and damn the man's perceptiveness.

"It does," Diana said shortly. "Thank you."

It was a dismissal, and Steve knew it. He ended the call, cutting off Tony's protest in mid-word. Almost immediately, their phones vibrated again.

"How do you want to handle this?" Steve asked. It was Diana's home, after all, and therefore her call.

"How big a threat do you believe they are?" Diana countered.

Possibilities swirled through Steve's mind, finally coalescing into one horrible thought. "A hundred men, maybe more, with the most advanced weapons available. If I were them and I knew about Themyscira, I'd think it was the perfect place to use as a base to regroup and rebuild."

Diana's lips thinned as what he hadn't said - about just _how_ they'd regroup and rebuild - sank in. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but I have to warn my sisters. I have to return to Themyscira."

Steve felt his brows drawing together. "I thought you couldn't go back?"

"I have to try," she said. "Against any normal enemy, I wouldn't worry as much, but with advanced weapons, my sisters - my mother - might not survive. Even if they do, what awaits them -" Diana shook her head. "I have to try."

"Then I'll go with you," Steve said, and tried to lighten her mood, however slightly. "Just like old times."

"I can't ask you to -"

"I'm offering," Steve declared. "Just like you offered in 1943."

Their phones vibrated again.

"Seems like they're offering, too," he said.

Her expression was a study in conflicting emotions that Steve would never be able to capture on paper, no matter how hard he tried.

Some subtle shift in those emotions led him to answer the phone. When he did, only Tony's face was on the screen.

"Don't hang up on me when I'm trying to help," Tony said. "I'm offering a quinjet to get you there. Nothing's faster than that."

"I - thank you," Diana said softly.

"And," Tony continued almost as if he hadn't heard her, "since it's a squad of Hydra troops - most of them special forces types - with advanced weapons - I'm offering Iron Man's services to help defend your home."

It was only Steve's serum-enhanced senses that allowed him to see that Diana relaxed minutely at the offer. While she - and he, for that matter - were more than a match for any squad, even a legion, of ordinary soldiers, several dozen elite Hydra troops with advanced weapons were another level of combat entirely, and Iron Man's assistance could make the difference between victory and defeat.

"Very well," Diana said finally.

"Where are you?" Tony asked. "I'll be there ASAP."

"The Warwick Hotel," Steve answered. "We'll be on the roof in five. And - Tony? Bring my suit."


	3. Chapter 3

Diana donned her armor quickly, then she and Steve made their way to the roof of the hotel. Wind whipping her hair about her, she stood beside him, still thanks to his own stillness, waiting for Tony Stark's arrival.

… and cursed herself for being ten kinds of an idiot.

She must have said it out loud, because she heard Steve's quiet, "Diana?"

"There is another who can help," she said, and pulled out her phone. There were only a handful of numbers programmed in, and she touched the one that would call Arthur Curry.

_Please answer_. The phrase repeated itself in her mind like a mantra as the phone rang once. Twice. A third time.

"Hey, Princess. What's up?"

"I need your help, Arthur," Diana said. "How quickly can you get to Themyscira?"

The question must have surprised him, because he was silent for several long minutes. "I won't exactly be welcome there, even if the war was before my time."

"They may be under attack," Diana said. "If not now, then soon. They need to be warned."

"I'll do everything I can, but I'm in New York right now, so it may not be as fast as you were hoping."

"Where in New York?"

"A hotel not far from the United Nations."

"Just a few blocks from me, then. I'm at the Warwick Hotel."

"Sorry you can't hitch a ride," he said, and the background noise suggested he was donning his armor.

"I have a jet coming - no, it's here. Hold on a moment."

The jet came in to hover beside the roof, its rear ramp lowered.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Stark's voice came through some kind of loudspeaker. "Climb aboard."

"Climb?" Steve muttered just barely loud enough to be heard over the engine. "More like jump."

Diana laughed. "I will if you will."

They leapt together, landing on the ramp and striding further aboard the aircraft as the ramp raised behind them.

"So, where are we off to?" Stark asked, striding forward from the cockpit. A suit of Iron Man armor stood off to one side. "And your suit's back there," he added with a jerk of his thumb.

"Who's that?" Arthur's voice came through the phone, and Diana brought it back to her ear.

"Iron Man," she said.

"Huh. You do have interesting friends, Princess."

She couldn't resist pointing out, "Including you."

"Yeah, well, I'm about to dive in the river, so I'm going to hang up. I'll surface and call when I have information for you - and then maybe that jet of yours can pick me up."

"Thank you, Arthur." The words seemed inadequate in themselves. Diana hoped he heard how much she meant them.

"You'd do the same for me." The call ended.

And while from anyone else his response might have been dismissive, from Arthur it was just a statement of fact, one warrior to another. In another world, she and Arthur might have been more than comrades, more than friends. In this world, she treasured his friendship and reminded herself to tell him so when she could.

"Well?" Tony Stark's voice brought her back to the present. "We can't just hover over Manhattan all day. Where to?"

"East," Diana answered. "But slowly - I'm waiting for intel about what we're going to face when we get there."

"Intel?" Tony repeated, incredulous. "From who? The fish in the sea?"

Diana smiled. "Something like that."

"Fine. I'll get us headed east. You don't peek while Cap's getting into his Capsuit."

WW = CA = WW

Steve shed his clothes and pulled on his star-spangled uniform quickly, unwillingly amused that Tony had assigned himself to guard Steve's virtue as he did. Then again, it was the kind of thing Howard might have done, if the 1940s had been even a little different than they were.

Beneath the amusement - which, he admitted to himself if to no one else, was only a momentary distraction - Steve's nerves fluttered in a way they hadn't since he got into the machine that made him a super-soldier.

He was about to see a place and meet people out of myth. More to the point, he was about to meet Diana's mother. He wasn't certain he was ready for that, not so soon into their more-than-friends relationship, but the circumstances were what they were, and he'd always been one to see a duty through, no matter what it was.

And, just like that, there was his plan: arrive at Themyscira. Try not to be overwhelmed by the fact that Amazons were people of myth. If Hydra had not yet attacked, brief the queen and her generals, and offer to assist in defending Themyscira. If Hydra had attacked, join the fight or, if the fight was over, join the resistance. Then, when the fighting was finally done, ask the queen's permission to court her daughter.

"All in a day's work," he murmured, settling his shield on his back.

"You mind briefing me?" Tony asked, drawing Steve's attention to where the other man perched on a seat across from him.

A glance told him that Diana had moved forward to stare out the windscreen at the ocean below them, so Steve focused on Tony. "About what?"

"What are we flying into? Besides Hydra, I mean. Tell me about this place we're headed - Themyscira."

It felt wrong to talk about Diana's home without her, but she sat just a few feet away, and Tony would know it all soon enough. Steve took a breath. "How much do you know about Greek mythology?"

"The basics. Why?"

"Diana's an Amazon."

Tony stared at him long enough that Steve half-feared he'd gone into some kind of fugue state. "You're shitting me."

Steve frowned. "I haven't heard that expression before."

"It means you're trying to give me a line of bullshit - you can't be serious. An Amazon?"

"Her mother is Hippolyta, their queen. Diana left Themyscira for our world when a pilot from the American Expeditionary Forces crashed on the shore of Themyscira and they learned about the Great War - sorry, World War One. She left so she could stop it. And she couldn't go back."

Tony appeared to consider that. "Huh. So we're heading for an island of women."

"Warrior women," Steve corrected, hoping to head off any lewd or lascivious thoughts that might be settling in Tony's mind.

"But that makes perfect sense," Tony said. "Of course. Hydra would see them as prime … well … breeding stock."

"I am certain they think so." Diana's voice made Tony jump, and even Steve was surprised that he hadn't heard her approach. "But that speaks more to their arrogance than what they'll find on Themyscira."

"And what will they find?" Tony asked.

Diana smirked. "Thousands of women who spend much of each day training for war."

"Why?"

Diana blinked. "Why what?"

"Why train for war, when they're isolated from the rest of the world? Civil war?"

"Not as isolated as you might think," Diana said. "We've gone to war with Atlantis -"

"Wait - Atlantis? Seriously?" Tony shook his head. "My entire worldview just got upended."

"You fought aliens a few months ago," Diana returned. "Surely Atlantis isn't as upending as that?"

Tony shrugged. "Jury's out. So, war with Atlantis. What else?"

"Other things I shouldn't tell you. I only told you of Atlantis because it's possible that -"

Her phone ringing interrupted her, and she answered it with only a, "Yes?" Then her expression lightened. She ended the call and said, "Please hover for a moment and lower the ramp. We're meeting someone."

"In the middle of the Atlantic?" Steve asked before he could help himself.

"She was just talking about Atlantis, Rogers," Tony said. "Keep up."

There was no real heat in the words, because Tony sounded as surprised as Steve felt. Still, Tony made the necessary adjustments, and the ramp lowered.

It was only a few minutes before a man jumped up onto the ramp, a waterspout behind him fortunately not splashing into the jet - much - though seawater pooled at his feet. The man easily topped Steve's height by several inches and had dark hair that fell past his shoulders. As muscular as Thor, he wore an armored shirt of some yellow metal and carried a golden trident, of all things.

The man's gaze swept past Steve and Tony to land on Diana, and he grinned.

"Your highness," he said, and Steve blinked at his American accent.

"Your highness," Diana returned with a matching smile. Then she said, "Arthur, King of Atlantis, meet Captain Steve Rogers and Tony Stark."

Shifting his trident to his left hand, the man - Arthur - offered his right to Tony. "Pleasure to meet you, Iron Man."

Tony shook the man's hand, his expression just a little dazed. Of course he recovered quickly. "King Arthur. Really?"

"Tony." Steve couldn't help the exasperated tone.

"Named for the legend," Arthur said. "The king part was an accident. My mentor and my girlfriend are after me to take an Atlantean name, but I figure I am who I am and they can deal with it."

"It would help keep your identity secret," Diana said. "Which may be helpful after you speak to the United Nations."

"I'll think about it." Then the man - Arthur - turned to Steve, again offering his hand. "My dad would be falling all over himself if he knew I met you."

Steve quirked an eyebrow as he shook hands. "Meeting a ninety-odd-year-old man is noteworthy?"

"If he's Captain America. My grandpa served with the 107th Infantry, told lots of stories about you."

_The 107__th__. Bucky's regiment._ Steve shoved the storm of memories and emotions down.

"A lot of guys did a lot more with a lot less," Steve told him. "But I did what I could."

"That's all anyone can do," Arthur agreed, then turned back to Diana. "You were right. A transport ship - stealth design, heavily armored - has breached the barrier around the island."

Diana blanched. "Then they're already under attack."

"But fighting back," Arthur said firmly. "And with some … enthusiasm, from what I heard."

"Heard? From who?" Tony asked.

"You can't hide from the sea," Diana said. "We can stop hovering now."

"Yeah, right. Of course." Tony shook his head and returned to the cockpit.


	4. Chapter 4

The Battle of Themyscira, like the Battle of New York and too many others before it, etched itself into Steve's memory in a series of moments isolated from one another:

Tony's pause at the open hatch. "Anything I need to know?"

Diana smiled grimly. "If they're wearing hoplite armor, they're my sisters. If they have automatic weapons, they're probably Hydra."

"Got it." Tony flew out, and his voice came through Steve's comm. "I'm on the transport ship."

The staccato report of automatic gunfire assaulting his ears as he broke the surface after following Arthur and Diana off the quinjet and into the Atlantic - and then Arthur riding a geyser like a wave, landing on shore with a splash and a thrust of his trident that almost tore a Hydra soldier in half.

Diana flinging herself between an Amazon and one of Hydra's weapons, the weapon's blue energy beam bouncing off her bracers, and then leaping to disarm the man, crush his rifle while he was still holding it, and deliver a punch worthy of Joe Louis that knocked the man flat on his back where he lay, unmoving.

A Hydra soldier lining up his rifle to shoot at an Amazon astride a horse who appeared to be shouting orders. Steve threw his shield, and it shattered the rifle. Steve rushed forward to incapacitate the man.

Before he could take more than two steps, the Amazon had nocked and launched an arrow that went straight through the man's throat, knocking him over and pinning him to the ground.

Steve winced as he caught his shield on its rebound - the man would not have an easy or quick death - but when he met the Amazon's eyes, she simply gave him a nod, one warrior to another.

He could only return it and turn his attention to the next Hydra goon in his path.

A glimpse of sunlight off metal from high above him, and so far behind him he barely caught it in his peripheral vision. A fuller glance over his shoulder confirmed what he suspected.

"Diana! Sniper!" He shifted so that the sniper was directly behind him - a calculated risk that paid off when Diana smiled her _at last - a worthy challenge _smile and dashed toward him.

Steve adjusted his shield so that it rested curved face up in his hands and bent his knees just a little.

Diana leapt toward him, and just as her feet touched his shield, he straightened, lifting the shield overhead with all his strength, sending her flying toward the sniper's nest.

She'd taught him that move during the war, and they'd used it to great effect then. Steve trusted it would be no different now and turned back toward the last few Hydra troops.

An explosion off to one side that drew everyone's attention briefly.

Smoke trailed from the oddly-shaped craft, and a red-gold streak shot up from behind it.

"The crew is incapacitated." Tony's voice came clearly through Steve's headset earpiece. "Didn't want them self-destructing the boat in case there's anything useful left. Besides, destroying it would really waste the taxpayers' money."

Then it was over, as far as Steve could tell. Bodies littered the shore - more Hydra than Amazon, thankfully - but those Hydra soldiers who survived were throwing down their weapons and raising their hands in surrender.

Arthur prodded a few troops forward with his trident - none too gently, either, by the look of it. Steve couldn't blame him. Even the little bit of Themyscira Steve could see - this white sand beach, the greenery beyond, and the barest hint of stone buildings peeking over the treetops - seemed like paradise.

The blood staining the beach and the hulking ship anchored offshore were mute refutations of that feeling, and Steve hoped he could someday wipe that image from his mind as easily as he and his team had destroyed the Hydra platoon.

Tony dropped two more surviving Hydra goons in front of Steve before landing beside him. The rustle of greenery from his left told Steve that Diana would be with them shortly.

The woman Steve had saved earlier approached. Her armor had a few scrapes and dings, and blood dripped from the sword she carried.

"Thank you for your assistance, strangers," she said, her English more heavily accented than Diana's, but still understandable.

"Is anyone hurt?" Tony's voice through the loudspeaker system in his suit had a mechanical undertone. "Badly? There are medical facilities on board the ship. We can at least triage and stabilize anyone who needs it."

"Let's go see," Arthur said. "We can triage the wounded and …" he broke off, glanced at the woman who'd joined them, then gave a minute shrug. "Collect the dead."

"Only the invaders," the woman replied. "We will take care of our own."

Steve gave her a respectful nod, secured his shield on his back, and turned to follow Arthur and Tony.

Diana prodded her prisoner down the slope before her. He'd been as much a challenge as Steve - though she and Steve never had a true fight, only practice sparring.

Her prisoner had shoulder-length, unkempt dark hair and wore a facemask that covered almost all of his face, only a strip of his forehead showing above it. Most obviously, though, he had a metallic left arm - probably cybernetic, to judge by its strength when he hit her.

She'd eventually bound him in Hestia's Lasso, and that had ended the fight. Surely Steve or Tony would have questions for him, so now she took him down to where her comrades waited.

Not just her comrades waited for her, either. Her mother - no, she corrected herself immediately, in this moment Hippolyta was her _queen_ \- waited for her, and she would have to account for her actions, her return to Themyscira when she'd been told she may never return.

As she broke through the forest onto the beach, Diana straightened. She had made the only choice she could in the circumstances, and she could only hope her warrior-mother understood that choice.

Some of her sisters guarded a double handful of prisoners, and Diana encouraged her prisoner to join the others, with a word of warning to the guards that he was stronger than a typical male, before she turned to face her mother.

Diana knelt before her, head bowed. "My queen."

"You call me so - still? After you returned to Themyscira against my order?"

"The circumstances were urgent," Diana replied. "I thought it was better, this once, to ask for forgiveness than for permission. Though I did attempt to send someone in my place, once I learned Hydra's attack had begun, I could not stand idly by while my home, my sisters, needed assistance."

"Hydra. They took their name from the monster?"

"Yes, specifically the aspect that if you cut off one head, two more would take its place." Diana still had not risen from where she knelt, but now she raised her head to regard her mother directly. "I fought them once before and believed them defeated. Only recently I learned otherwise. It was my _telos_ to finish it."

Was it her imagination, or did the queen's features soften ever so slightly?

"And you met your purpose bravely, with _arete_."

It was as close to a blessing as Diana could have hoped for, and she allowed herself to relax, though she remained kneeling.

Then her mother held out a hand. "Rise, daughter, and be welcome."

Diana would never admit how close she came to sagging with relief at her mother's words, but she kept her head high and her back straight as she took her mother's hand and rose to her feet.

Only then did her mother smile, and Diana thought she saw tears gathering in her mother's eyes. "Welcome home, Diana."

Then she was in her mother's arms, clinging as tightly to her mother as her mother clung to her, and Diana let out the last of her tension on a shuddering breath.

"So, hey, family reunions are great and all," Stark's voice cut across their reunion, and Diana was certain her expression mirrored her mother's stern one, "and I know you said only the enemy, but one of your people has a gut wound - a bad one. Probably could use stitches and definitely could use antibiotics."

"Antibiotics?" Her mother sounded out the word as she stepped back from the embrace to face Stark - who had raised the faceplate of his armor. "Against life? What are these antibiotics?"

Stark looked baffled for a moment before he rallied. "They're a type of medicine, they prevent infection."

"They're a stronger form of the _ericacea_ plant, Mother," Diana said.

"Yeah, that," Stark agreed, though Diana knew he had no idea what the plant actually was. "And Hydra has plenty of them on board that ship."

Her mother frowned, then asked Diana, "Have you taken these antibiotics?"

"No," Diana answered honestly. "But I have seen them used many times."

"I took 'em, as a kid," Arthur offered. "Sometimes they taste bad, but they work. At the least, they won't make it worse."

Her mother nodded, then scanned the battlefield until she found the warrior Stark had mentioned, and those who tried to help her.

"Artemesia," her mother called. "How is Euboea?"

Artemesia rose from where she knelt beside the injured Euboea and jogged the short distance between them. Her voice was low when she answered, "Not well, my queen. She has lost much blood, and though we've stopped the bleeding, the wound got very dirty. We can only take her to Apollo's temple, clean the wound, and pray."

Her mother frowned. "Very well. Artemesia, go with the armored man, and bring back these antibiotics for Euboea."

"May I?" Stark offered Artemesia his arm, and Diana was only somewhat surprised when Artemesia looked to her for guidance.

"He will not hurt you," she said, and after a moment a still-wary Artemesia took Stark's arm.

She didn't cry out when he took off, but her expression told Diana it was a near thing.

Then her mother faced Arthur. "Well met, king of Atlantis, descendant of Atlan."

Arthur grinned. "Trident gave it away, huh? I'm Arthur."

"What happened to King Orm?"

"Made a couple of bad decisions," Arthur replied. "Almost took us to war with the surface. We couldn't allow that."

"He is dead, then?"

"In prison."

"Mercy is the best crown," the queen said in acknowledgment before turning to Steve. "Thank you, as well."

"Captain Steve Rogers, ma'am." Steve removed his helmet and tucked it under his left arm.

"Another Steve?" Diana's mother glanced at her. "At least this one didn't bring the attack with him."

Diana chuckled softly. If her mother were joking, then everything would be all right. Eventually.

"Come," her mother said. "We will feast to celebrate our victory."

WW = CA = WW

Before they could feast, though, the dead invaders had to be burned - and it was ironically fitting for Nazis to cremate their own rather than those they deemed inferior. Steve would never admit aloud the perverse satisfaction he took from that.

But - there was one prisoner who wasn't set to work. He wore body armor and a mask that covered nearly all of his face - and he was tied in Diana's lasso.

"Diana?" he asked. "Why's this one tied up?"

She rose from where she was helping one of her wounded sisters to join him. "He's as strong as you are, and fast. The lasso was - efficient."

"In the spirit of efficiency," Steve said, "we'll start questioning with him, then. Who are you?"

"_Zima Soldat_. Winter Soldier."

"I didn't mean your designation," Steve said. "What's your name?"

He didn't answer, and the strip of the man's forehead visible above his face mask crinkled.

"What's your name?" Steve repeated.

"I - don't - know." The words seemed torn from him, his voice weaker than it had been when he'd offered his designation.

"If you get his mask off," Tony offered over the comm, "JARVIS can run facial recognition, see if he turns up anywhere."

Steve gestured Diana forward. "Ladies first."

"Ever the gentleman." She gave him a smile that held only an edge of flirtation and started toward their prisoner.

"They did invade your home," Steve said.

A shout he found all too familiar distracted him: "Hail Hydra!"

Steve whirled, tracking the shout to the remaining Hydra prisoners, who'd apparently decided that it was better to die with their comrades than deal with the consequences of their choices.

Arthur and the Amazons seemed happy enough to help them meet that goal. For a moment, Steve was tempted to order them to capture the prisoners, not kill them - and then he remembered that he was a guest here, and the Amazons had the right to deal with the invaders however they saw fit.

At least Hydra had provoked them, so it wasn't cold-blooded murder.

"Steve -" Diana's voice broke. "We won't need facial recognition."

"What do you mean?" Steve turned back to her - and froze when he saw the face she'd revealed. "Bucky?"

"Who the hell is Bucky?" the man retorted.


	5. Chapter 5

"Why does this man yet live?" Diana's mother - Hippolyta - demanded, striding up to where Diana stood with Steve and Bucky.

Steve moved to block her approach to Bucky, and Diana faced her mother without flinching, without cowering.

"He is a friend," Diana said. "It was my honor to fight beside him in the Second World War."

"Second -?" Hippolyta repeated, then offered a wry smile. "Captain Trevor was wrong, then."

"Optimistic, but yes, wrong," Diana said. "The leaders of these men -" she gestured toward the column of smoke just beginning to rise over the treeline "- captured him during that war, tortured him. That he yet lives and fights for them suggests they have done far more than that."

"If they have turned him to their side, he should die," Hippolyta said.

"No!" Steve barely kept from shouting. He took a breath, let it out. "I understand your anger, Your Highness, but brainwashing can be reversed."

"Helping him will not bring back my fallen sisters."

"No," Diana agreed, "but do we blame the sword for the actions of the swordmaster?"

"What would you have me do instead?" Hippolyta looked torn, and Steve took a single step toward her.

"Let us try to help him," Steve said. "He was my best friend. I thought he died fighting beside me."

"He was an honorable man," Diana added, "one I was proud to call friend. That this has been done to him is reprehensible. It would be wrong to let him continue to suffer."

Steve wanted to say more, to try to persuade Hippolyta, but her severe expression kept him silent and still. It was her island, and her decision, and he'd never been good at waiting.

"Very well," Hippolyta said finally. "He may remain tonight, under guard, while we celebrate. He will go with you when you leave."

Steve released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. It was the best he could have hoped for. Now he hoped that they could, somehow, help his best friend come back to himself.

WW = CA = WW

Diana accepted a third bowl of roasted boar and vegetables with a smile and a word of thanks.

There would be time to mourn her fallen sisters tomorrow, and she would join her mother in mourning if she were allowed, but tonight was for celebration.

Diana took a sip of wine to disguise a glance over the hall where the warriors had gathered several hours before.

At a table to her two o'clock, Tony Stark was chatting animatedly - probably flirting - with several of her sisters. Behind him, the Iron Man armor stood sentry against the stone wall, the Trident of Atlan resting on the wall beside it.

At the far end of the table where she sat, Arthur appeared to be in some kind of drinking contest with Philippus, who had taken over the army after Antiope's death. Diana wondered idly if there were a betting pool and if so, what the stakes might be, but she let the thought slide away as unimportant.

A few places down from her own seat, her mother seemed to be questioning Steve about the American form of democracy - _a republic_, he was quick to correct her - and delving into the differences between that and the Greek version.

That debate looked like it might go on for hours, so there would likely not be a better time for her to slip out of the celebration without drawing too much attention to herself.

She excused herself from the conversation she'd been having with Menalippe and Artemesia, saying she wanted to talk to some of her other friends, and picked up her bowl and mug.

It was easy enough to slip out of the hall and make her way to the cells in the basement of the royal residence.

Diana had always wondered why they needed cells when disputes were few, and usually settled without the need for incarcerating anyone.

The one time she'd asked, her mother had answered, "Because it is a reminder both of our history and of what we may become if we are not ever vigilant."

She'd understood the first part of that answer easily enough, but the second part lingered in the back of her mind, itching occasionally to be taken out and examined. She still had no understanding that satisfied her, even if she hoped one day she would.

The darkness of the cellar was broken only by the occasional light of a torch in a wall sconce - just enough light for Diana to make her way to the far end of the corridor where the handful of cells were. Her sandals made soft slapping sounds against the dirt floor, almost drowned out by the rustle of her linen tunic in the silence.

"Who comes?" demanded a voice Diana remembered well, even after nearly a century.

"It is I, Diana," she replied. "I mean you no harm, Lydia."

The other woman stood outside the cell that presumably held James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes, sword in a sheath at her side, a spear in her hand. Her expression turned from suspicion to curiosity as Diana approached.

"Has the princess fallen so far that she is delivering meals?" Lydia asked, and while there was a hint of mockery in it, Diana thought she was mostly sincere - not an unexpected reaction, considering the circumstances.

"I have come to take watch, that you may join the others at the feast," Diana said.

Lydia's expression turned suspicious once more. "Why?"

"Because the man in that cell was my friend, once, my brother in battle, and I would see him fed and cared for. And because Themyscira is your home more than mine, now, and you deserve to feast at least as much as I."

Lydia hesitated, and Diana smiled. "Philippus is having a drinking contest with the king of Atlantis."

"I have won many such contests with Philippus. Who was winning, when you left?"

"In truth, I could not tell."

"I must challenge the winner of that contest. Thank you for taking the watch."

Diana nodded an acknowledgment as Lydia strode down the corridor. Then she set her mug and bowl to one side and removed the heavy bar holding the door in place. Moments later, the door stood open before her, and she took a torch from its sconce to light the two in the cell.

Bucky sat awkwardly against the far wall, still wrapped in the Lasso of Hestia. Diana paused in the doorway after she returned the torch to its sconce.

"Do you know me?" she asked finally.

Bucky turned a gaze as flat as his expression on her. "You were on the beach. We fought."

"We did, and I'm sorry for that. We were friends, and I dislike fighting my friends." Before he could respond to that, she added, "I've brought you food and drink. I will untie you and leave you to eat in peace. Do I have your word that you will not try to escape?"

"…Yes."

Diana brought the mug and bowl into the room, setting them on the ground near Bucky, and untied him, taking two quick steps back as soon as he was free.

He stretched his arms, making no apparent distinction between the flesh-and-blood arm and the cybernetic one, and Diana retreated to the doorway. Hestia's Lasso compelled people to tell the truth, but still she was cautious as she coiled the lasso loosely in one hand.

Then Bucky picked up the bowl and took a bite. "This is - good," he said, sounding surprised.

"You were expecting gruel?" Diana didn't try to hide her amusement.

Bucky shrugged. "Don't know that I was expecting anything."

He finished eating in silence, then drained the mug. He set the mug aside, then met Diana's gaze, light from the torches casting flickering shadows across his face.

"The man with you - who was he?" He frowned. "I knew him."

"You did," Diana said. "He was your best friend, your brother in arms."

Bucky nodded slowly, as though considering her words - or, perhaps, trying to remember.

Diana paused at the thought. Hestia's Lasso had helped Peggy Carter remember who she was long enough to have a conversation with Steve. Perhaps it might help Bucky remember who he was beneath whatever brainwashing Hydra had done to him.

"Will you let me try something?" She asked. He looked decidedly suspicious, even ready to bolt despite his earlier promise, and she added quickly, "It won't hurt, and it might help you remember."

"I - suppose."

Carefully, she uncoiled Hestia's Lasso. "I'm going to toss the end of this to you. Wrap it around your right hand."

"That's it?" Bucky couldn't have sounded more disbelieving if he tried.

"That's it," Diana promised. After a moment when he didn't react further, she knelt and skittered the end of the lasso across the floor toward him.

He hesitated a moment longer, then gamely picked it up.

When he had it wrapped loosely around his hand, she repeated what she'd said to Peggy Carter several months before. "Remember the truth of who you are, and where, and when."

She wasn't expecting him to scream.


	6. Chapter 6

The feast finally seemed to be winding down - even Thor would agree that the Amazons knew how to celebrate - and Steve searched the crowd for Diana, hoping to have a few words with her privately before they each went to bed.

She'd been sitting not far from him, but he remembered her rising to - what? Speak to someone else? Visit whatever form of restroom the Amazons had, which he'd need to find for himself soon? Or something else?

Now, though, he couldn't see her at all. Tony was at the same table he'd started at, laughing with the Amazons he sat with. Arthur was at the far end of his own table, arm-wrestling, of all things, with an Amazon whose name Steve didn't know.

Queen Hippolyta was rising to take her leave, so Steve said, "Pardon me, ma'am - do you know where Diana is?"

Hippolyta scanned the room thoroughly before frowning. "I didn't see her leave."

"Well, it's unlikely she'd get into trouble here," Tony said. He'd risen to join them when he saw both Steve and the queen on their feet. "Right?"

"There are … one or two places that are dangerous," Hippolyta admitted. "But she knows of them all and would avoid them."

"There a problem?" Arthur called without looking up from his arm-wrestling match.

"I don't see my daughter," Hippolyta answered.

"I -" the woman Arthur wrestled with grunted with the exertion of speaking while wrestling "- saw her earlier. She -" another grunt "- came to take over my watch."

"Watch?" Tony repeated, even as Steve realized what she meant.

"Bucky. You were watching Bucky."

"We will finish this contest later, I vow." The woman let go of Arthur's hand and stood. "I guarded the prisoner with the metal arm."

"Where?" Steve demanded, his heart stammering a hard beat in his chest. If Bucky had somehow hurt Diana -

No, he couldn't think that now. Now, he had to focus on getting to them, on finding out what was really happening.

"Show me," he said, and was both pleased and humbled that not only was Tony already summoning his armor, but Arthur, too, had seized his weapon. If anyone - if _Bucky_ \- were trying to hurt Diana, they were starting a fight they wouldn't expect.

"Lydia, with us," Hippolyta said even as she strode toward the door. Steve fell in half a step behind her, and Tony, Arthur and the woman whose name he now knew was Lydia were barely a step or two behind him.

Hippolyta led them, and a small band of warriors, down into the bowels of the royal residence. It wasn't quite a castle and certainly wasn't a palace, but Steve's mind refused to supply him with a more accurate word, instead focusing on what might await him when they arrived at their destination.

Lydia opened a heavy wooden door, and before it had opened even a crack, he heard screams.

"That's not Diana," Arthur said.

"No," Steve said. "It's Bucky."

Then he was moving, relying as much on his serum-enhanced senses as the uncertain light from flickering torches along the wall to guide his way.

Tony and Arthur kept pace with him, and he heard Hippolyta ordering the others to remain behind but on guard before her and Lydia's pounding footsteps joined theirs.

Steve rounded a corner and came up short just inside a cell - there was no other word that would do - where Diana appeared to have wrestled Bucky to the ground, though she struggled to keep him pinned, as his metal arm kept finding purchase that gave him leverage against her.

"Move." Arthur's command was quiet but no less authoritative, and Steve took a step to one side, allowing the Atlantean to pass.

Steve regretted the decision when Arthur took a position near the two who wrestled, twirling his trident so the business end pointed downward.

For long seconds, Arthur simply watched. Then he struck, slamming his trident downward with all his strength - right at Bucky.

"No!" Steve shouted, only then realizing what he was seeing.

The trident sank deep into the dirt floor, effectively pinning Bucky's cybernetic arm in place.

"Thank you," Diana panted. "If anyone has something that can bind his feet and free arm, I would appreciate it."

"Allow me." Tony's voice, amplified and echoing thanks to the armor, prompted Steve to allow Tony to pass, as well.

Less than a minute later, Iron Man had fired a bola at Bucky's feet, effectively tying them together, and another device that reminded Steve of a grappling hook, only with the hooks turned outward rather than inward, to pin Bucky's flesh arm.

Bucky was effectively pinned, and whether it was the result of the pinning or simply exhaustion, his screams died to whimpers.

"Again, thank you." Diana squirmed free and rose unsteadily to her feet. Arthur, nearest to her, offered a hand to steady her, and she took it with a grateful smile.

Once more, a spike of envy - no, _jealousy_ \- stabbed through Steve, and he fought it down, keeping his voice steady through sheer willpower when he asked, "What happened?"

Diana laughed softly, coiling the Lasso almost automatically, he thought. "I had an object lesson in the concept that the road to hell is paved with good intentions."

"What is this _hell_?" Hippolyta asked, "And how do good intentions get you there?"

Steve floundered, wondering how to explain the concept to someone who had no concept of _sin_, but Diana spoke before he could find words.

"Think of it as Tartarus, only with far more severe punishments," she said. "The meaning is that however benevolent one's intentions, one's actions can still lead to sin."

Hippolyta considered that for a moment. "What were your intentions, then, and what actions did you take?"

Diana straightened and, to Steve's surprise, turned to face him before she spoke. "I meant only to help a friend and a brother in arms, and by virtue of helping him, also help my _Agapitos_."

It was only thanks to serum-enhanced senses that Steve noticed - felt more than saw - Hippolyta's flinch at the term Diana used.

But Diana continued, "With Hestia's Lasso wrapped around his flesh hand, I ordered him to remember the truth of who he was, and where, and when. And then he screamed. He fought, and we struggled until you arrived."

Tony's faceplate retracted. "I don't know how that rope of yours works, but if he's been brainwashed and tortured - very likely, given who he was and what he's become - it might not make for a good mix."

"Obviously, it didn't," Diana said, and met Steve's gaze once again. "I am sorry for hurting him."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," Steve said as gently as he could. Still, she flinched at his words, and he would have said more, but a raspy voice cut him off.

"Hurt like hell, but it was worth it."

"Bucky." Steve crouched beside his best friend. "You are Bucky, right?"

"More or less," Bucky answered, and Steve hoped he wasn't imagining the hint of humor lacing Bucky's tone. "Mind letting me up?"

Steve glanced at the others in the room, assessing their states of mind as best he could in the circumstance. Tony stood against the far wall with a clear line of sight. Diana had backed up toward the cell entrance, her lasso coiled loosely in her hand, ready for use in a heartbeat. Arthur rested one foot on his trident, apparently to hold it in place, but seemed open to whatever might happen next.

Hippolyta and Lydia frowned at the display, but the Amazon queen met his gaze and gave him the slightest of nods. Steve took that as permission to proceed as he saw fit. He only hoped he wouldn't regret it.

"Go ahead."

If the King of Atlantis thought it strange to be taking orders from a nearly-century-old man, he gave no sign. Instead, he removed first the grappling device that restrained Bucky's flesh arm, then pulled his trident free, stepping away from Bucky as he did.

"If you wouldn't mind," he said to Lydia. She frowned at him, and he sighed. "You're the only one with a blade."

"I can handle this," Bucky replied and, with some effort from his cybernetic hand, managed to snap the cable binding his ankles together.

"Huh." Tony sounded more amused than anything else. "Gonna have to take that back to the drawing board."

Steve kept his attention on Bucky, who simply sat on the dirt floor for long moments, flexing fingers and toes, before climbing to his feet. Steve rose with him, keeping a wary eye on his friend from childhood.

"Bucky?" he asked finally, bracing himself for … he didn't know what.

"Who else would I be, punk?" And there was that grin Steve remembered. He didn't remember the shadows in Bucky's eyes, though.

"_Zima soldat_," Diana said quietly from behind Bucky, and Steve saw his friend flinch.

"I was that," Bucky said, meeting Steve's gaze. "But not by choice. Never by choice."

"I know, Buck," Steve told him.

Bucky turned to face Diana, and Steve heard the surprise in his tone when he said, "Princess? What are you doing here?"

Diana smiled gently. "This is Themyscira, my home. You were part of Hydra's invasion force."

"I was? I am so sorry," Bucky said. "They have words - words that make me do what they tell me. I didn't have a choice."

Hippolyta took a step forward to rest a hand on Bucky's shoulder - his metal one, Steve noted idly - her expression serious now.

"We do not blame the arrow for the killing strike, rather the archer," Hippolyta said. "Do you know these words, that we may avoid them?"

Bucky shook his head. "No - I don't think so."

"I'll have JARVIS and Stone comb Hydra's records," Tony said. "There's got to be something, somewhere."

Bucky turned to Tony, and Steve saw the frown creasing his forehead. "Do I know you?"

"No, but you knew my father. Tony Stark." Tony offered his armored hand.

"Howard settled down?" Bucky shot a glance at Steve even as he took Tony's hand. "With wh- not with Agent Carter?"

Tony laughed. "Aunt Peggy would've killed him if he'd done more than flirt with her. No, my mom's name was Maria."

"How long have I been -" Bucky broke off. "How long?"

"It's 2012," Arthur said.

Bucky's shoulders slumped, ever so slightly. "I have a lot to catch up on. "

"I'm not caught up yet, myself," Steve said. "We can learn together."

"Sure," Bucky agreed. "As soon as you tell me how _you_ made it to 2012 without looking any different than the last time I saw you."


	7. Chapter 7

Diana lingered with Stark, Arthur, and her mother as they emerged from the cellar and Steve led Bucky back to the feast.

"You think just finding the words will be enough?" Arthur asked.

"I don't know." Diana fingered the lasso at her side again. "I want to think so, but I don't know."

"I'll find the best therapists - for PTSD, memory issues, all of it," Stark said. "Dad never gave up looking for Rogers, and he wouldn't have given up looking for Barnes, either, if he'd thought there was a chance Barnes survived."

"Let me know if there's anything I can do to help," Arthur said. "Even if it's just offering him a quiet place to stay where no one will bother him."

"He's a decorated war hero," Stark said, "returned from the dead. Is there such a place?"

"My dad'd take him in," Arthur replied. "Might ask him for all kinds of war stories, but otherwise, no pressure."

"Arthur," Diana began, "you've already done so much. We can't ask you to do any more."

"You're not asking, Princess," Arthur reminded her. "I'm offering. Besides, Mom's back in Atlantis for diplomatic talks with Xebel, and Dad's getting lonely."

"You do know Barnes can't breathe under water, right?" Stark asked.

"Neither can my dad," Arthur replied before turning to Diana's mother. "By your leave, Your Highness, I'll return to Atlantis now. I'm needed there more than I'm needed here."

"I understood Atlantis and Xebel are at peace," Hippolyta said. "And have been since the war."

"That's true." Arthur said, and cleared his throat. "These are marriage negotiations."

"Ah," the queen said with a completely serious expression. "The most delicate kind."

"And since I know how certain feasts tend to end," Arthur continued, "and my future queen is a redhead, it's best I leave now, before anything … unfortunate happens."

The queen inclined her head, just a little, and said, "You are always welcome here, Arthur of Atlantis. And it would be my honor to host you and your queen, as well as your lady mother - I've not seen Atlanna in many years."

"I will extend the invitation," Arthur replied, then turned to Diana. "And you - you are still gorgeous, and fierce, and strong. It is, as always, my honor to fight beside you."

"And mine to fight beside you," Diana said. She opened her arms, then laughed as he pulled her into a bear hug. "My congratulations on your wedding. I look forward to meeting her."

Arthur released her and turned to Stark. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Stark. If that armor works under water, I'll send you an invitation."

"It does so far," Stark answered. "But I'd rather not be the only surface-dweller at the wedding, if you know what I mean. Wouldn't want to steal the spotlight from the happy couple."

Arthur laughed and clapped Stark on the shoulder hard enough that even in the Iron Man armor, Tony Stark staggered a step. "It's been fun."

With that and a wave, Arthur started toward the beach and his home beyond.

Stark looked between Diana and her mother. "Yeah, so this is a mother-daughter moment, right? I'll just - follow the golden oldies."

That Stark chose to follow the others with a short burst of his armor's jets was more amusing than it should have been.

"You have found many good men."

Diana could only shrug. "The first one found me."

"Tell me what happened after you left. Did you end the war, even if it didn't end all wars?"

"Yes, and no." Diana looked at her mother shrewdly. "But you knew that."

"I assumed," her mother corrected her in a gentle tone. "Men - and women, too - are complex beings, full of joy and love and laughter, but also anger and hate and greed. The gods have much to work with, but there is also much in people that needs no assistance."

"So Ares said," Diana murmured. "Just before I killed him."

"You -?" Her mother's gaze narrowed, then. "You know."

"That I am the god-killer, because I am a goddess? Yes."

"In point of fact, you're a demi-goddess," her mother said dryly. "But the great heroes all were demi-gods themselves, so you stand in good company."

Diana chuckled, but only briefly because her mother's expression remained serious. "Mother?"

"I should have told you your parentage. And I should have given you my blessing. I can only apologize that I did not do either of them before now."

"Why didn't you?" Diana asked before she thought. The question couldn't be unasked, so she braced herself for an answer she wasn't certain she really wanted.

"Because I was thinking - I was _feeling_ \- as your mother, not your queen."

"I - don't understand."

Her mother looked away, over the courtyard. "As queen, I know that Captain Trevor's arrival was not the first time men have found their way to our shores."

"It wasn't?" Diana couldn't help the exclamation. "But - he was the first man I ever saw."

"By design," her mother snapped back. "Most of the others were pirates, raiders - not good men, let alone noble men. Antiope's warriors dispatched them quickly and efficiently, sinking their ships along with their corpses."

"That's why I only ever swam off the north side of the island," Diana said as realization swept through her. "I thought it was because it had both cliffs and a sandy beach. But these pirates - their ships -"

"Sunk off the south coast," her mother agreed. "It was easy to ignore these accidental incursions. Easy, yes, and necessary, too."

"You said _most_ of the others were pirates. What of the others?"

"Sailors and merchants. Better men, though still not all good. Those we gave an _ameles _draught, that they would forget us, and asked the Atlanteans to help us set them adrift outside the barrier around Themyscira."

"You kept this from me," Diana said. "Why?"

"Because I know you, my daughter." Her mother's tone was gentle. "And I knew that the moment you met a good man, a noble man, with a worthy cause, that you would be lost to me. To us."

"Mother -" Diana broke off, uncertain what to say.

"Yes, as your mother. As your queen - I know that we cannot, we will not, remain hidden from the world much longer, and I knew that even before Captain Trevor's arrival. We have been preparing for that since you left with him." Her mother smiled, then. "Philippus assures me I am taking us to ruin with such preparations."

That startled a laugh out of Diana, and she was still smiling when she said, "That is why you've allowed me to return - you wish me to be our ambassador to the outside world."

"Truly, Athena blessed you with her wisdom. Yes, I do. And I would hear of your life there before you return."

WW = CA = WW

They hadn't been given an exact departure time - not that water clocks were at all _exact_ \- and Steve had taken advantage of the uncertainty to explore a little more of the city. He doubted he'd ever return to Themyscira, even if his relationship with Diana became as permanent as he wanted it to be, so he savored every moment he was here, fixing the images in his mind so that he could draw them later.

He'd never had a grand tour of Europe, of course - even if the custom hadn't mostly died down by the time he was born, he was certain that visiting during wartime didn't count - and even if he had, Greece probably wouldn't have been on his itinerary.

Themyscira was proving to be better than he imagined a grand tour might have been - not least because it wasn't swarming with other tourists. This early in the morning, Steve wasn't surprised to see a number of Amazons heading out for the day, but aside from offering him quiet greetings, none spoke to him and none impeded his progress through the city.

Steve picked out some obvious things - a blacksmith, a mill - but other buildings simply stood where they were, unlabeled on the assumption that only people who lived there would ever need to access them.

Still, overall Steve noted more technological advancement than he would have expected from such an isolated society. Then again, they weren't really isolated, were they? They'd had contact with Atlanteans - _Atlanteans… maybe not any stranger than aliens? _\- and who knew what other societies, after all.

A yellow-painted building with a colonnaded entrance drew his attention thanks to the steady stream of people entering and exiting, so Steve crossed the open space toward it, hoping that it wasn't some kind of communal bath or other place his presence would be unwelcome.

He approached cautiously, relieved when the Amazons who bothered to acknowledge him did so only with a nod or a slight smile, rather than drawn weapons.

Steve climbed the steps and passed between first a pair of Ionic columns and then heavy wooden doors into a room where last night's chill still lingered. Despite the windows near the roof letting in shafts of early morning sunlight, it took a moment for Steve's eyes to adjust to the relative dimness of the interior.

When they did, his breath caught.

Before him, two rows of statues formed a corridor leading to a giant statue of Zeus, seated apparently comfortably on a throne as tall as Steve with golden thunderbolts grasped casually in one hand. To Zeus's right, Steve's left, statues of the major Olympian goddesses lined the interior. Steve picked them out through their symbology. Hera had pride of place - though from what Steve had seen of the Amazons, he suspected that gesture was more to propitiate her than indicative of her position in their beliefs. Then Artemis, Athena, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hestia. Opposite them were the major Olympian gods, again identifiable by their symbols. Poseidon, Apollo, Hermes, Ares, Hephaestus, and Dionysus.

_That's thirteen, not twelve._ _Didn't Hestia give up her place to Dionysus?_

Making a mental note to ask Diana about it later, Steve stepped further into the temple - for there was no doubt this building was a temple - and examined the interior more closely.

Behind the statues of the Olympians, Steve a double handful of smaller statues, and he passed behind Hestia to examine them.

He'd barely reached the first one when he realized what these statues depicted. These were representations of legendary heroines, some with familiar names such as Psyche, Atalanta and Penthesilea. Others he vaguely recognized, such as Otrera and Cyrene. Still others, he could only guess at.

He paused by the statue of Psyche, admiring the skill that had gone into the sculpture. The light shifted again - a cloud passing overhead, maybe? - and Steve realized that there was yet another layer of statuary in the temple.

The third layer was much sparser than the first two, only a handful of sculptures dotted the outer wall, each standing on a stone column about as high as Steve's sternum.

These were more busts than actual statues, and Steve recognized none of them. One, he assumed by the trident-like symbol on its crown, was some previous king of Atlantis. No other clues suggested the identities of the others so honored.

Steve's breath caught when - incredibly, improbably - he saw a face he knew from an old, grainy photograph.

_Steve Trevor_.

The sculptor had captured a reasonable likeness, an impressive feat considering they had only known the man a day or so and had nothing like cameras to capture an image. Then again, maybe it was that very lack that had sharpened their memories, enabling them to make so accurate an image.

"My daughter tells me you are much like him."

Steve turned to face the queen.

"She speaks highly of Captain Trevor, ma'am," he said. "I can only hope I'm like him."

One regal eyebrow lifted. "Truly? From what Diana says, you are stronger than he - stronger than any man."

"Not _any_," Steve said. "And strength isn't everything. Is he here -"

He broke off, unable to form a question that wouldn't be rudely presumptuous.

"He is here because he fought bravely to defend Themyscira," Hippolyta replied. "As did old King Atlan, and every other man here honored. As did you and your friends."

Steve understood the implications. "It's my honor to have fought for her home - for your home."

"I think you were more correct the first time." Hippolyta's tone held a wry amusement that reminded him painfully of Bucky. She continued before the feeling could depress him, "And I think that my daughter has chosen well."

Damn an Irish complexion that showed every hint of embarrassment. Still, Steve kept his tone even when he replied, "If she has chosen me, it's my good fortune, and I will strive to be worthy of her every day."

Hippolyta held his gaze for a long moment. Then, "Your friend - the one who attacked us."

"Bucky," Steve said. "Formally, James Buchanan Barnes."

"Diana tells me that there are words that, when spoken, force him to do things against his will."

"Yes," Steve said. "He's been brainwashed - tortured and conditioned to obey, regardless of his own choice."

"Do you know what these words are?"

"He doesn't remember them, so no." Steve blew out a breath. "The same people who learned of the attack are searching for them. We hope that once we know what they are, we can reverse what was done to him."

"He may remain here while you search."

Steve jerked to face her fully. "That's - very generous, ma'am, considering what he did while he was here."

"You and Diana both tell me - and he admitted while bound by Hestia's Lasso - that he would not have done so of his own will. We will not punish him for actions he had no control over. And it is very unlikely that he will hear those words here. He and we will be safe."

"I can't decide for him," Steve said. "But I'll pass on your offer." After a moment, he said, "These are not my gods, but I don't want to dishonor them unintentionally."

"Do you think you have?"

"I hope I haven't."

"That you come here with a respectful heart is enough."

They stood in a companionable silence for a moment before Hippolyta spoke again.

"I trust that respect extends to my daughter."

"Always." Steve took a breath, forced his hands to remain unclenched at his sides. This was not a fight; it was a time-honored ritual that played out in every culture as long as there had been culture. "I hope to marry her."

"You hope to?" Hippolyta's question held no accusation.

"It's not just my choice," Steve replied. "It's hers."

"Then I wish you well in your endeavor. But come, we should break our fast before you depart."


	8. Chapter 8

Diana, dressed in a blue chiton, stood with Tony - the Iron Man armor, along with Diana's, presumably already stowed aboard the quinjet - and Bucky when Steve approached with her mother.

He glanced at her, and for the briefest of moments, panic fluttered across her expression. Steve grinned, hoping to silently reassure her that they had gotten along well enough, at least warrior to warrior if not suitor to parent.

_Son to mother_.

At any other time, Steve might have shied away from those words, from that thought. Now, though - now they settled comfortably, surely, in his mind and heart.

As he drew closer, his attention shifted to Bucky. "You okay, Buck?"

Bucky grinned. "The only man on an island full of beautiful women? Course I am."

Then he sobered. "Yeah, punk, I'm as okay as I can be, given the circumstances. Be better if they find out those words."

"You don't have any idea about them at all?" Steve asked.

"I know they use 'em, and I know they use the chair after, so I won't remember."

Steve couldn't help frowning at the reminder of what had been done to him - what Steve had allowed to happen. If he'd searched the ravine where Bucky fell, maybe -

"Steve." Bucky's voice cut into his reverie, and Steve slowly met his best friend's gaze. "It's not your fault. It's Hydra's fault, and they're dead. Or will be, if what Stark says is true."

"Well," Tony said, "maybe not _dead_ dead - depends what crimes they're charged with and how they're sentenced. But the organization will at least be crippled."

"That'll do," Bucky said. "That'll definitely do. Thanks."

Steve watched his oldest friend and one of his newest friends shake hands, then clapped them both on the shoulder.

"We'll find those words, get you fixed," he said. "Then -"

"Then you'll show me this brave new world we ended up in," Bucky finished, and Steve was grateful, because Bucky's words were far more optimistic than anything he might have said.

Steve pulled him into a hug. "Take care of yourself."

"I'm not the one who never knows when to back down from a fight." Bucky slapped him on the back, then pulled away to look at Diana.

She smiled and hugged him equally hard. "Take care of my sisters - and let them take care of you, too."

"You take care of him," Bucky countered, jerking his head in Steve's direction.

"Hey," Steve protested half-heartedly. "I'm Captain America."

"Still a Brooklyn punk." Bucky grinned, then shook Tony's hand with a, "Thanks - for everything," that Steve didn't quite understand, but figured he didn't need to.

"See you on the other side," Tony said, then nodded to the queen. "Nice island you've got here."

Before Hippolyta could respond, Diana took two steps forward, and then the two women held each other tight. Hippolyta spoke to her daughter in Themysciran Greek, and Diana responded in the same language.

When Diana stepped back from the embrace, she faced her mother and the other Amazons who'd gathered to watch the quinjet depart. She raised her arms, crossing them over her chest so that her bracers clanged softly.

As one, her mother and her sisters returned the salute.

With a last nod to Bucky, Diana turned and strode toward the quinjet.

"Thank you, ma'am," Steve said to Hippolyta.

"Be welcome on Themyscira, Steve Rogers," she replied. "Friend of the Amazons."

There was something behind those words, Steve thought, but now was not the time to find out what. Instead, he bowed briefly, awkwardly, and turned to join Diana and Tony on the quinjet.

The ramp raised behind him, and Diana was in his arms almost before he'd cleared it.

"Everything okay?" Steve asked, just loud enough for her to hear him over the roar of the engine.

"More than okay," she murmured against his neck. "My home is safe, another friend is returned from the dead, and my mother approves of my love."

"_Agapitos_, you said." Steve paused, considered the word, ventured, "Beloved?"

She nodded. "I could think of no other term as accurate."

There was, really, only one response he could make. "I love you."

Diana smiled and stretched up - not too far - to kiss him, long and languid, a wordless confirmation of their feelings.

When he finally - finally; he'd lost track of time - had to break for air, Steve rested his forehead against hers.

"One of the claims I made against someone using my name and likeness without permission from my estate has already paid off."

"So soon?" Diana murmured. "I thought court cases could last for years."

"Most do, according to what I've read," Steve said. "But this company capitulated after a single letter informing them that we intended to sue. They chose to pay a lot of money up front to avoid the risk of paying a lot _more_ money later."

"Excellent. Have you decided what you're going to do with the money?"

Steve smiled. "I'm buying a house."

Diana pulled away from him to stare up into his eyes. "A house?"

"In Brooklyn, on the water. The neighborhood took a fair amount of damage during the -" Steve broke off, debating how to refer to the Battle of New York. "During the invasion. The house itself isn't damaged badly, but because the neighborhood around it was, the price is actually reasonable. Or so my real estate agent says, no price is what I would call reasonable these days."

"It sounds lovely."

"It needs some work," Steve said. "But that's okay - it'll give me something to do after I finish OCS."

Diana frowned at him, obviously puzzled. "That can't be all you're doing after OCS?"

"No," Steve agreed, and took a breath. "I'm going to request a position at Fort Hamilton. It's in Brooklyn, and that's perfect. My alternate choices are Fort Drum and Fort Dix. Any one of the three is a permanent position, but I can be available to the Avengers as needed."

"I would've thought the Avengers would train together, like a regular army unit."

"We will," Steve said, "but I envision the Avengers as being more like the National Guard, one weekend a month and two weeks per year. Everyone has lives, and with a little luck and the grace of God, we won't be needed very often."

"It sounds like you've thought this through very well," Diana observed. Steve felt his face flush - from her, that was high praise indeed.

"Believe me, there were lots of conversations with my attorneys, Tony, and others."

"I admit to being surprised you're not going back on active duty."

"I don't feel comfortable fighting today's enemies," Steve admitted. "During the war, you and I fought a definable enemy. War today is different. Besides state against state warfare - like the Korean War, or Operation Desert Storm - we have war against ideologies. Only it's not against ideologies _per se_ so much as it is against the followers of those ideologies who commit horrible acts of violence while looking and acting like ordinary people. That's - too much for me to deal with, in addition to dealing with a new century and new technology. An administrative or training position suits me fine."

Diana had cocked her head to one side while he spoke, and Steve found himself wondering if she didn't somehow embody the truth her Lasso compelled.

"It's not what I would have expected," she said finally, "but I think it's a good choice."

Steve took a breath - it was now or never. "The house I bought - it's big enough for us. Us and a family and room for guests, too. If you want."

He watched her breath catch in her throat. "Steve -"

"I loved Peggy Carter once," he said evenly. "But that love died when I went into the ice - even if I took a while to realize it. It freed me to love again - and I love you."

"So you said." Diana's tone was neutral now, and it hurt almost as much as her anger would've. He could only press on and hope for the best.

"I want to spend my life with you. Marry you. Raise children with you, if that's what you want. Either way, I want our house to be open to friends, yours and mine, wherever they come from and whatever they do. Please, say you'll live with me, share your life with me."

Diana looked at him for long moments, and Steve briefly wondered if he'd miscalculated. The she smiled, wide and bright.

"I love you, Steven Grant Rogers," she said, "and I will live with you and share my life with you."

= = = END = = =

Although I've marked this story complete, another scene or two have been dancing around in my head. I may add them later if they stay scenes. If they morph into another story, well, then … I'll post that, too, after a *long* conversation with my muse. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
